Quick-detachable dust-cap for tire-valves.



M. F. PATTON.

QUICK DETACHABLE DUST CAP FOR TIRE VALVES. APPucAnoN FILED SEPT. e. :91s.

RENEWED JUNE $4. |97.

Patented Mar. 18, 1919.

Mfmmh UNITED STATES i?ArEntrv oEEIcE.;

MOSES F. PATTON, OFfTUSCALOOSIA, ALAMA, ASSIGNOR TO'A. SCHEADERS SON, INCORPORATED, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK,.'A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

QUICK-DETACHABLE DUST-CAP FOR TIRE-VALVES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented lIar. 18, 1919.

Application filed September 8, 1.915, Serial No. 49,615.- Benewed .Tune 14, 1917. Serial No. 174,792.

all whom t may concern.'

y Be it known lthat I, MosEs F. PAT'roN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Tuscaloosa, in the county of Tuscaloosa and State of Alabama, have'invented quick.' detachable vdust caps for tire valvev stems. According to my invention I longitudi- I nally slot the in ner end of the dust cap to form spring arms that, when' drawn together are adapted to engage and grip the threaded valve stem. This split end of the cap is adapted to be forced into a tubular s base or foot portion designed to draw its arms together when thrust thereinto until it engages the valve stem. Y

One object of my invention is to make more positive'the release of `the split end of the dust cap from the valve stein by introducing into the cap spring means to exert a positive outward pressure against the split sections of the cap and thus supplementl their resiliency which is not found' to be sufficient when the dust caps are made of brass or like non-corrosive material which is most suitable for them.

Another feature of my invention relates to the manner of forming the tubular base and cap sections to provide for theirpermanent 'interlock while leaving the cap section free'jfor the necessary play in the base section to expand or contract its split sections and cause them to engage and disengage the valve stem.

A further object of my invention is to 11nprove the manner of forming the tapered. Wedge in the base or foot section against which the split end of the cap is adapted to be collapsed. n

My invention further comprises lthe novel details of construction and arrangements of parts, which in their preferred embodiment only are lhereinafter moreparticularly described and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings which lform a part of this specification, and in which: y

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the dust cap with its base section partly broken away to show the split portion contracted.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the' line 2-2 of Fig. 3, illustrating the cap with lts split section expanded.

Fig. 3 is a horizontalvsection on the line 3 3 of Fig. l. K

Y Fig. 4 isa view similar to Fig. 2 and illustrating a modication of my invention.

Similar reference numerals refer to simcilar parts throughout the drawings.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 to=35 I provide a dust cap l formed of thin tubular inetal body having its outer orsharp end poi-tion v closed and externally knurled and havingy its inner end portion provided with a plurality of parallel longitudinal slots 2 which extend in spaced parallelism from its lower end lengthwise of thecap and terminate in large openings 3. Between the knurled portion of the cap and the openings I press or form an annular groovefl about thecap. The

Asplit end of the cap has on the inside .end

faces of the arms or sections threads 5 which form a split nut or like stem engaging means. Preferably the inner end of tliecap is swaged or contracted inwardly to provide,A

a taper shoulder 6 which starts just abovei' the threaded portion and arcs outwardly to the full diameter ofthe cap. At its cX- treme inner end the cap is provided with a' beveled face 7. lVithin the split end of the cap I mount a parted band spring 8 or like means adapted to exert an outward pressure against the sect-ions of the cap to expand them'. The base or foot section of the cap is formed by a tubular metal body 9 which is swaged to reduce the diameter of its upper portion `10 so that the latter will tit snugly about the split end of the cap section. The upper end 11 of the base section is swaged again to draw it against the base of the groove l, which base iscylindrical so that -the cap section will slide longitudinally in duce an annular washer. 12 in the bottom' end Ofthe base section, spaclng 1t fromv the bottom edge ahd I swage this bottom edge at v13 to clamp the washer firmly in position and athesame time to (form a seat for the reception of a packing ring -14 which is adapted to engage the rim or felly of the wheel and form a water tight joint.` The washer is provided with a thickened base--VL portion having on its internal face an annular beveled seat 15. he inner' upper edge of the washer 1s also beveled at 16, the faces 415 and 1G being spaced so that they arev adapted to snmiltaneously engage the bev.

eled faces 6 and 7 of the 'eap., 1t 4will be noted that the slots 2 are arranged equidistantly vabout the cap and that there may be tour or any desired number of these slots. 1t will also be noted in this construction `that J "':ie dust Capris of uniform diameter' except' .vliere it is reduced to torni the grooves 4: and the beveled face In lFig. d the entire outer end 17 of the cap is of smaller` diam eter than the portion 18 thereof Which'isI received in the base or' foot lsectionl 19. Asa' result "of this construction the capl is pro-` vided with a shoulder 20 which is disposed within the swaged end :21 'ot' the base scc tion and serves to limit the outward movement of the dust cap in the base portion. The arrangement of the slots 2, holes 3, threads 5 aud spring 8 is the same in this construction in that illustrated in Fig. 2

and need not therefore be agzliin described. The base section however'in `this construction is made as an integral part and ac cordingly the casting is provided with a thickened base portion havingthe top beveled face 16 and the bot-tom beveled face 15 corresponding to sin'iilar faces in the washer The base in this construction is also provided with a seat for the packing ring 1d.

ln both coiistructions it will be noted that the swalging` oi" the base section at the points 1 and Q1 provides for a permanent slip joint attachment of the cap to the base sec- -tion which leaves a sutiicient play between -`and its taper faces t5 and 7 will Iengage the ybeveled faces 15 and 16, respectivelyY ot' the washer 12 or base sectionl, causingl the split end of the cap to becontracted, asseen in Fig'. 1 ,until its threads or like parts cnthe valve stemand grip the tl'ire'ads thereon, whereupon a part. turn of the cap/l .will tighten the interlock ot' the threaded .parY .nd force the dust cap packing against .the'nvhel ri m.' To releasethe dust cap, itis `ronly necessary togive a partial reverse. turn -totheicap section twhicb will unser-ow the latter 'from the valve stern and move its .beveled'iaces 15 and loont ot er agement with thc'beveled faces 15 and 16 which held the cap gripped to the valve stem and when this. occurs the spring 8 will assist such resiliency as the split sections of the cap have to rmove apart and releasethe valve stem,

whereupon the cap canv belifted oil' freely. .I thus .provide a device having no detachable parts and which can be cheaply constructedand which will be adapted `for al- `most instantaneous.application or detachment. .Y y

rI Wish it t'o be distinctly understood that I do not in this application claim the broad feature ofv a cap'y portion having collapsible or spring arms in combination with a ywedging oi'.l other member adapted ,tomove said arms into engagement with the valve stem,

sincethis forms the subject-matter of an application filed by me February 26, 1915, Serial No. 110,773, and renewed June 14, 1917,

rHaving thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is y 1. A dust .cap having movable arms,y and means for moving said arms, comprising a base I Jortion--which receives said arms and has a wedging surface adapted to be engaged by the arms to 'contract them, and spring` means engaging the arms and adapted to y expand them.

2. A dust cap having an elongated cap portion provided at its open end with a sc-V ries of integral spring arms, each arm carrying on its'inner face aI threadedsection, springr means adapted to engage and urge said arms apart, and a base portion adapted to receivethe cap portion and ha ving a tapcr surfaceagainstwhich said spring arms act. substantially as described.

A dust cap comprising a tubular cap portion reduced at an intermediate point to form a shoulder, longitudinal slots in the cap portion below said shoulder whiclrdivide the a p into spring arms, thread engag "ing means on the inner face ot each arm,

and a tubular base portion -which receives the slotted end of the cap portion and has its outer end swag'edr to engage the reduced portion of the cap and to engage the said shoulder toprevont the disengagement ot said parts, and wedge-means at the lower end of said base portion adapted to retract thefsliriug arms of the cap portion when the latter is pressed inwardly.

A dust cap comprising, in combination,v a tubular base section having a ltaper washer made fastl in its lower end, a 'cap portion having av slotted end adapted to ybe received in' said. tubular base, said slots forming spring ar1ns"\\'hich are adapted tov be cugaged a nd contractml by said, taper washer, substantially as described. i

5. A dust cap comprising, in combination a tubular hase section having a taper washer introduced in its lower end, the-hase portion l tt() gage the taper washer and be contracted thereby when the ca portion is Pressed into thejbase portion, substantially as described.

6.' A dust c'ap comprisingy a base portion having a Washer inserted in its lower end and made fast therein, said washeryand the end of the base section projecting beyond it forniz ing a seat for packing, a taper'face inthe washer, andl a split cap section adapted to be received in the base section and to engage the 1taper face of wthe washer.

Y 7, A dust cap comprising, in combination, a Vcap section having spring arms which have two external taper faces near their free ends and have l,thread engaging means on their inner faces, and a base portion adapted to engage a'stationary part and having two spaced iaper surfaces therein adapted to be simultav eously engaged by the taper surfaces on the spring arms of lthe cap section to contract the latter, substantially as described.

8. A dust cap' comprisingfa cap section longitudinally slotted yat `one end to form spring arms, whicharms are bent inwardly near their free ends, a spring band introduced Wit-hin the s lit/end of the cap above ,the bent-1n ends o the arms and tending to y/ expand the arms apart, in combination with means to contract the arms, as and for the ypurposes described.

9.v In a dust cap, a cap yportion having at an intermediate point an annular groove formed, therein' and having below said groove a plurality of longitudinal slots subdividing the cap end into iexible arms, said split end of the cap having its open end contracted to reduce its internal diameter, a flat band spring mounted within thesplit end of the cap above its contracted portion, a tubular base adapted toreceive the split end of the cap and having its upper end'swaged against the bottom wall of saidy groove, said groove bein Wide enough to provide a limited longitudinal movement of the cap -within the base portion, means within ,the base portion to contract the splitfend of the cap portion when the latter is forced inwardly, and means in thesplit end of the cap to gripl a threaded valve stem, substantially as described. 1

10. The combination with a part having 1 `spring arms formed'with screw threads, and

a spring tending to move .said arms out-`r wardlv.

., 11. The combination 4with a part having. i I

movable larms provided with screw threads,

means for moving said movable arms in'- wardly and spring means independent of the arms for moving said arms outwardly. Y

12. A dust cap for tire valves, comprising atubular casing having a lclosed portion and having one end slitted to form arms, said arms being internally provided with thread- 1 ed parts and adapted to be sprung into contact with the threaded portion of a tire valve, means for forcing the threaded parts of said arms into contact Y'with said threaded portion of a tire valve, means for pressing said arms in aV direction to bring thev threaded parts thereon out of contact with said threaded portion of a tire valve, and a sleeve of less heightthan said casing and forming a closure around said slitted part of the casing.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature.

vMOSES F. PA'ITON. 

